ERIC EJ855272: Addressing the STEM Challenge by Expanding Specialty Math and Science High Schools

2007·0.18 MB·English

by  ERIC

Addressing the STEM Challenge by
Expanding Specialty Math and Science
High Schools
Position Paper by: Robert D. Atkinson, Janet Hugo, Dennis Lundgren, Martin J. Shapiro, and Jerald Thomas
In June 2006, several NCSSSMST executive committee members and past presidents were invited by
Dr. Rob Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF.org), to
contribute to a paper on the need for specialized STEM high schools. The paper was presented on Capitol
Hill by Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Jay Thomas, NCSSSMST Vice President, in March 2007. With the endorse-
ment from several Congressmen, David Price (D-NC) and Brad Miller (D-NC), this paper informed a section
of HR 2272, which was signed into law in August 2007 as the America COMPETESAct. The act increases
federal funding for education and research and development in science, mathematics,engineering and
technology education in the next three years, including increasing funding of specialized high schools.
This article is reprinted with permission from ITIF.
If America is to succeed in the innovation-powered The STEM challenge
global economy, boosting math and science skills The United States faces a new and pressing
will be critical. This is why a wide array of task competitiveness challenge as a growing number
forces and organizations has recently raised the of nations seek to gain global market share in
clarion call for more and better scientists and engi- technology-based economic activities. While the
neers. While the policy proposals offered are wide national policy response must be multi-faceted,1
ranging, one key policy innovation has surprisingly ensuring an adequate supply of talented scientists
been largely ignored: the role of specialty math and engineers is one key step.
and science high schools. Today, there are well
over 100 of these high schools throughout the However, on a host of science, math, and
nation. And evidence shows that these schools are engineering metrics, America is falling behind.
a powerful tool for producing high school graduates The United States now lags behind much of
with a deep knowledge and strong passion for science the world in the share of its college graduates
and math that translates into much higher rates of majoring in science and technology. As a result,
college attendance and graduation in scientific fields. the United States ranks just 29th of 109 countries
in the percentage of 24 year olds with a math or
As a result, any solution to the science degree (See Figure 1).
scientist, technician, engineer, and
mathematician (STEM) shortage must Figure 1: Percentage of First Degree University Students Receiving
include a national commitmentto Degrees in Science and Engineering2
expand the number of specialty math
and science high schools. To do
this, Congress should allocate $180
million a year for five years to the
National Science Foundation to be
matched by states and local school
districts and industry with the goal
of tripling enrollment in math and
science high schools to around
140,000 by 2012.
14 NCSSSMSTJournal
As the economy is becoming more science and Figure 2: Percent Change in U.S. Graduate Degrees: 1985-20023
technology-based, fewer American students are
studying science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM). For example, while total U.S.
citizen non-science and engineering graduate
degrees increased 64 percent between 1985 and
2002, the graduate degrees in STEM fields awarded
to U.S. citizens increased by just 14 percent, while
degrees in STEM fields awarded to foreign-born
students more than doubled (See Figure 2).
In some fields there has been a marked decline.
For example, there are fewer non-biological
science and engineering doctorate degrees being
awarded to U.S. citizens today than in 1996 (See
Figure 3). Likewise, bachelors degrees in engineering Figure 3: Non-Biological Sciences Science and Engineering Doctoral
granted to Americans peaked in 1985 and are now Degrees Awarded to U.S. Citizens5
23 percent below that level.
So far the United States has been able to rely on
foreign students studying and working here to
make up the shortfall of domestic talent. In 2000,
over half of all Ph.D. scientists under the age of
45 were foreign born, up from 27 percent in 1990
(See Table 1). But it’s not clear that we will be
able to rely on foreign scientists and engineers to
fill the gap in the future. Fewer foreign students
are coming to the United States for their degrees
and fewer are staying after they graduate.4
Even in the face of these statistics some argue Table 1: Foreign-born Share of Scientist
that today’s worries about a STEM shortage will and Engineers Employment6
prove as illusive as past worries. It’s true that 1990 2000
well publicized warnings about shortages of STEM Bachelors 11% 17%
talent made in the 1980s and early 1990s did not Masters 19% 29%
come to pass. But it’s important to recognize two All PhD 24% 38%
key factors. First, those predictions did not, and PhDs < 45 27% 52%
could not, have taken into account the significant Post-Doc 51% 60%
decline in funding for research in the 1990s,
prompted in part by defense downsizing and feder- Proposed Solutions to the STEM Challenge
al fiscal shortfalls. Had funding not been cut, There is no lack of proposals to address the STEM
shortages could very well have appeared. Second, challenge. Proposals fall into two major categories:
and more importantly, the United States made up easing immigration and boosting domestic supply.
for shortfalls in American-born STEM graduates by With regard to the former, there is considerable
expanding immigration of STEM talent. focus on easing immigration rules to make it easier
for foreign-born scientists and engineers to work
in the United States. While such steps are important
in the short run, over-reliance on foreign-born
STEM personnel involves considerable risk. As we
Spring 2007 15
saw after 9-11, numbers of STEM immigrants can contain specific policy recommendations towards
decline suddenly. Moreover, other nations, partic- implementing them.12 Moreover, the PACE-Energy
ularly Canada, Australia and Great Britain, have Act (S. 2197), based on report, contains a small
increased their recruitment of STEM talent.7As program to let energy national laboratory staff
other nations get richer and STEM employment assist in teaching at such high schools.13
opportunities there become more plentiful it will be
harder to attract and retain foreign STEM talent. By creating an environment focused more intense-
ly on science and technology, these schools have
The second major policy focus centers on boosting been able to successfully enable students to study
the supply of U.S. STEM talent. Some proposals science and math, often at levels far beyond what
have focused on boosting incentives to encourage students in conventional high schools are at; they
college graduates to obtain graduate degrees in STEM. can then go on to degrees in math and science at
For example, Congressional legislation wouldexpand relatively high levels. It’s time to build upon this
NSF doctoral fellowships. Other proposals focus successful model and significantly expand the
on increasing the retention rate of undergraduatesin number and scope of our nation’s math and sci-
STEM fields, in part by expanding NSF’s Science, ence specialty high schools.
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent
Expansion Program and by encouraging develop- What are Mathematics, Science
ment of Professional Science Masters programs.8 and Technology High Schools?
Still other proposals focus on making it easier for There are close to 100 math and science high
students interested in STEM, especially underrep- schools (MSHS) across the nation, members of the
resented minorities and women, to go to college National Consortium for Specialized Secondary
and study STEM fields, through programs such as Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology,
NASA’s Science and Technology Scholarship with pull-out programs with 125 students, to full
Program and NSF’s Robert Noyce Scholarships.9 day programs and dedicated high schools of over
4,000 students, to state sponsored residential
Finally, and most relevant to this policy brief, a schools, enrolling over 47,000 students in total.
wide array of proposals would seek to intervene Approximately three-quarters of these schools are
farther back in the STEM pipeline at the K-12 full-day schools, 25 percent are half-day programs,
level. These include expanding professional devel- and 18 percent are residential schools.14
opment programs for science teachers;10enhancing
science enrichment programs; using No Child Left While a few MSHSs date back to the early 1900s,15
Behind to judge scientific educational outcomes; many were developed after 1980 in response to a
and boosting science teacher quality, either growing concern about the competitive position of
through stricter requirements, providing incentives the U.S. economy. In response, several states
to attract higher quality teachers to science,11 established new public high schools with an
and/or making it easier for scientists and engineers emphasis on mathematics, science and technology
to become teachers. such as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science
and Mathematics in Northern Virginia, The North
To solve the STEM problem, policy makers should Carolina School for Science and Mathematics
focus on all the areas above. Surprisingly, howev- (NCSSM) in Durham, The Illinois Mathematics and
er, virtually all the reports on this issue and the Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora, and the
legislation addressing it largely ignore one of the Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt,
most potentially successful policy interventions in Maryland. Congress allocated funding for magnet
this area: specialized math and science technology schools of mathematics and science to assist
high schools. One report that did mention special- school districts under supervision of the courts
ty math and science high schools was the National with desegregation plans in the late 1980s. Many
Academy’s Gathering Stormreport, but it did not of the science and technology magnet schools
16 NCSSSMSTJournal
were placed on the high school campuses with dis- ments where the students are assigned a research
proportionately high numbers of African American mentor with whom they will work over the course
students in order to bring non-black students into of the time they are at the school. Students also
these schools. The magnet programs were devel- compete in science fairs, research symposia, etc.
oped using a school-within-a-school concept. as the capstone for these research projects.
The Center for Advanced Technologies in St. These projects are often entered into national
Petersburg, Florida, The Blair Science, Mathematics, competitions such as the Siemens-Westinghouse
Computer Science Magnet Program in Silver Science Talent Search, the International Science
Spring, Maryland, and the Conroe Academy of and Engineering Fair, Chemagination, DuPont
Science and Technology in Conroe, Texas are Challenge, Exploravision, Neuroscience Creativity
examples of the school-within-a-school concept.16 Prize, Thinkquest, Young Epidemiology Scholars,
and Young Naturalist Awards.
Mathematics, Science, and Technology High
Schools differ from the general education found in A third distinguishing feature of these schools is
comprehensive high schools in key ways. First, as their level of partnership with other organizations.
the name implies, MSHSs focus much more exten- Collegiate, corporate, and alumni organizations
sively on STEM curricula. For example, in addition have formed significant partnerships with these
to the three years of lab science and three years schools. While some partnerships have been in
of mathematics required by the state for high support of specific events, others have been long-
school graduation, Florida’s Center for Advanced term partnerships supporting research and innova-
Technologies offers students an opportunity to tion among students and faculty. Collegiate part-
declare a mathematics-science major by taking ners, for example, often provide classroom, dormi-
four additional courses in mathematics and tory, research, and financial support to these
science, often Advanced Placement Courses.17 schools.19 For example, at the Governor’s School
of South Carolina, every rising senior is placed for
Second, students don’t just take more STEM six weeks in the summer at an off-campus pro-
courses; they take more advanced courses and do gram. Many of the students work with a research
more advanced work.18 Indeed, the coursework professor at an in-state university.
and integrated curricula of MSHSs go over and
above the normal graduation requirements for gen- Finally, while it’s difficult to assess and compare
eral education students. For example, students at educational environments, MSHSs are distin-
the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, guished by the high level of student and faculty
and the Arts can take courses in Biomedical engagement. Many students get turned on to
Physics, Immunology, Micro-biology, Multivariable mathematics and science because their instructors
Calculus, Number Theory, Differential Equations, are engaging and their own love of learning is
Math Modeling, Computer Programming III, and contagious.20 One finds a great deal more interac-
Web Application Development. The focus at these tion between students and instructors at these
schools is not on the College Board’s Advanced schools. Students are eager to spend time with
Placement offerings, but on courses beyond AP. people who are interesting and interested in them.
Students are expected to work at a college level One school principal calls it “hanging on the faculty
of instruction and learning. member’s legs.” It’s not uncommon to find
instructors surrounded by students during off
The majority of these specialized schools have a periods or after classes. When a student conducts
focus on a graduation requirement of research in research under the tutelage of an interested teacher,
an area of math-science-technology where they the mutual excitement grows. This is one reason
are taught to ask the right questions, use 21st why most of these students do not want to take
Century state of the art tools to find the right the summer off or spend it working at a fast-food
answers, and then effectively communicate these restaurant. Instead, they are hooked on learning
answers. For example, some schools have require- and want to take advantage of all that is offered.
Spring 2007 17
This is also a reason why instruction is less to complete graduate or professional school.24
traditional. As a general rule, instructors do not Students also voice very positive views of their
spoon-feed information; rather they focus on student high school experience, with 85 percent of college
responsibility for solving problems, digging for the seniors indicating that their high school enhanced
information, researching for understanding. It’s their critical thinking and 76 percent indicating
unusual to find traditional instruction at these that their high school enhanced their research skills.
schools – the “I’ll tell you, then you’ll repeat it back
to me” style of instruction that is found in most edu-
cational settings. MSHS faculty focus on student Most importantly, however, MSHS graduates earn
learning rather than simply faculty teaching, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathemat-
expect the development of critical thinking skills ics, science, and technology fields in significantly
and learning beyond simple understanding. higher numbers than the general population.
Approximately 56 percent of MSHS graduates earn
Moreover, because students and faculty are undergraduate degrees in mathematics or science-
passionate about STEM, the normal issues in related fields, compared to just over 20 percent of
conventional high schools where kids interested in students who earn an undergraduate degree. It is
science are labeled as nerds, or where girls are especially important to note that over 40 percent
discouraged from being smart, largely disappear. of females earn such degrees – nearly double the
As one high school principal said, “females stop national average. And a significant percentage of
worrying about their looks and whether they will those female MSHS graduates who do earn a
be popular. Instead they compete with the males mathematics, science, or technology degree
in their classes and find that the guys like them indicate plans to seek employment or advanced
for their smarts and not just their looks.” study in highly specialized fields. These findings
are consistent with trend data gathered over time by
Specialty Math and Science High Schools Are MSHS schools that conducted independent graduate
an Effective Tool for Boosting STEM Talent follow-up. Graduates of MSHSs distinguish them-
While the educational environments and pedagogical selves from their academic and professional peers.
processes at MSHS are exemplary, the key ques- While it is likely that among any population of gifted
tion is whether they produce results. While formal and talented students a significant number would
studies are few, there is some evidence that these become high achievers in their chosen fields, the
schools are highly effective at producing graduates opportunities afforded to students through MSHSs
not only with high levels of aptitude in STEM, but clearly enhances such correlated critical skills.
who go on to further study and careers in STEM.
For example, one study of 1,032 graduates finds Graduates of specialized schools have distinguished
that these schools perform very highly.21 MSHSs’ themselves in many ways in mathematics and
graduates leave high school and college as highly science research in college and beyond, and there
prepared, very satisfied and efficacious students is abundant evidence that students’ ability
of mathematics, science, and technology: 99 per- to ask questions and pose novel solutions was rec-
cent of graduates enroll in college within one year ognized and enhanced by their specialized school
of high school (compared to 66 percent nationally) experiences. One female student, for example,
while 79 percent complete college in 4 years matriculated at Harvard University and embarked
(compared to 65 percent in private universities and on a four-year study of a particular species of
38 percent in public universities).22 Moreover, 80 mushroom. She had begun her groundbreaking
percent of graduates intend to earn a master’s or research in a mentorship experience in high school,
doctorate degree, while just 10 percent of 30 year and her original high school research led to the
olds have a graduate, professional or doctorate revision of texts on the subject. Graduates of
degree,23while 53 percent of students among MSHSs frequently comment that the most influential
those in the highest quarter of family SES expected experiences in high school were the opportunitiesto
18 NCSSSMSTJournal
engage in their own research and inquiry – oppor- human resources from the general population of
tunities not available at their home schools. High students. While boosting the quality of K-12 schools
school, suggested one graduate, “Taught me not and especially underperforming ones, STEM education
to rush into difficult problems but to step back and should not he held hostage to, in this case, misplaced
evaluate the situation so that I can tackle it from concerns about fairness. It is clearly in the national
the right angle.” Another student, a Harvard interest to ensure that some students who are
undergraduate and Yale law school graduate, passionate about STEM receive the support and
suggested that he would never have known that educational environment they need to excel.
Harvard and Yale would be an option for him had
he remained at his rural Midwestern school. This does not mean, as some might believe, that
Students from rural, poor, or inner-city schools MSHSs cannot or should not focus on expanding
have consistently commented that, upon matricula- their opportunities to the widest possible groups
tion at a MSHS school, they recognized for the of students. In general, minorities and females
first time that there were students who shared are underrepresented in specialized mathematics,
their interests, that it was acceptable to be smart, science and technology schools just as they are in
and that there were teachers who were interested these fields in higher education and in professional
in them and eager to challenge them. fields. Moreover, research literature in education is
rife with evidence that minority and low-income/low
Challenges socioeconomic status gifted and talented students
Significant challenges face current and emerging are woefully under-identified, under-challenged, and
specialized mathematics, science and technology under-represented in public schools.25
high schools. Specialized high schools are continu-
ously confronted with issues of sustainability, As a group, however, specialized mathematics and
committing a high level of energy to promote, science schools have found not only effective
improve and fund their schools. The governance strategies for identifying such students, but also
structures of specialized schools differ widely. actively implement plans for support and retention
For example, some operate under the purview of a of such students. Many of these schools engage
college or university, while others report to local in energetic efforts to identify, engage and train
boards and district-level stakeholders. Hence, with the most capable and talented pool of students.
different funding sources, governance structures, Hence, to actively recruit and support talented
and stakeholders, specialized schools regularly students, regional or statewide mathematics and
face issues related to public support and curriculum, science programs offer opportunities to students
facilities, and funding. who might otherwise not be recognized. For exam-
ple, in Pinellas County, Florida, with approximately
Public Support and the Issue of “Elitism” an 18 percent African-American population, less
Perhaps the largest challenge facing the MSHS than 4 percent of those students are served in the
movement is the ambiguity that exists in our public schools’ International Baccalaureate (IB)
nation regarding excellence. On the one hand program. The specialized mathematics and science
there is growing recognition of the importance of school, however, typically serves over 10 percent
meeting the new challenge of a “flat world” by of a group historically under-represented in higher
ensuring that the best and the brightest enter in education mathematics and science. More broadly,
STEM fields and receive top level training and edu- NCSSSMST, the association of MSHSs, through
cation. Yet, at the same time there is a suspicion support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the
that helping a relatively small group of students Siemens Foundation, and Associated Colleges of
excel is some how elitist and unfair. At the local Illinois, has initiated a multiyear study to identify
level, citizens sometimes balk at supporting spe- and assess successful practices in reaching under-
cialized math and science schools as they are often represented groups.
regarded as elitist schools that drain financialand
Spring 2007 19
Facilities and Funding math and science high schools. As we noted
School districts are often reluctant to commit the above, more so than other high schools, math and
resources to create and provide ongoing support science high schools produce benefits that local
for schools for mathematics, science and technology. communities, and even states will not capture.
Such reluctance is manifested by concerns related Rather than be seen as solely the responsibility of
to the high cost of science and technology labora- local school districts, or even states, they should
tories and equipment. Specialized mathematics, be seen for what they are: a critical part of the
science and technology schools require quality, scientific and technological infrastructure of the
up-to-date laboratories and research spaces. nation. Thus, we believe that the National Science
Viable laboratories should be designed to accommodate Foundation should play a key role in supporting
a variety of projects, innovative research studies, and expanding such schools. As a result, Congress
teamwork, and spaces for building technology and the Administration should set a goal of
projects, online connections, supportive technology approximately quadrupling enrollment at such high
and current equipment.26In the standard, compre- schools to around 250,000 students. This will
hensive high school, the cost per student in a require both the creation of a significant number
laboratory science class is one of the highest of new high schools, but also expansion of others
costs in the school. To provide the laboratories with room to grow. To do this, Congress should
needed at specialized schools, the cost is even higher. allocate $180 million a year for the next five
years to the National Science Foundation to
Effective MSHSs also need quality curricula; current be matched with funding from states and local
textbooks and curriculum materials do not meet school districts and industry, and investedin
the demands of these schools. MSHSs devote both the creation of new MSHSs and the
significant energy and resources to and enhance expansion of existing ones.27 Moreover, a share
currently available curricula. Other schools actively of these funds should go toward establishing
develop innovative curricula designed to challenge MSHSs focused on under-represented populations.
their own students and to inform educational States and/or local school districts would be
practice at the local and state levels. Indeed, part required to match every dollar of federal support
of these schools’ mission statements is a charge with two dollars of state and local funding.
to transform mathematics and science education Industry funding would count toward the state
at the local, regional, or state levels. Such out- and/or local school district match.
reach efforts demand that faculty be allowed to
stay current in their academic fields, engage in Second, institutional partnerships are a key to
educational research, and be released for faculty success of MSHSs. Whether it’s the donation of
development outside their own schools. All these research equipment, the opening of their facilities
additional resources – laboratories, curriculum and to students and faculty, or mentoring of students,
educational outreach – cost extra money. Given technology-based companies can play an important
that much of the benefit of MSHS will accrue to supportive role. As a result, Congress should
the state as a whole, the nation, and indeed the modify the research and experimentation
world, in the form of more and better scientific credit to allow companies to take a flat (non-
research and engineering, it’s not surprising that incremental) credit for donations of equipment
the locally-funded school system under-invests in to high schools. Math and science specialty high
this kind of knowledge infrastructure. schools are an institutional innovation that has a
proven track record in helping educate more scien-
Policy Recommendations tists and engineers. By buildingon this model
Solving the STEM challenge will require an array Congress can help address the need for scientists
of responses at a range of educational levels, and engineers.
(K-12, college, graduate school, work-related
immigration). However, a key part of any solution
needs to be the significant expansion of specialty
20 NCSSSMSTJournal
Endnotes
1. Robert D. Atkinson, “Will We Build It and If We Do Will They Come: Is the U.S. Policy Response to the
Competitiveness Challenge Adequate to the Task?” (Washington, D.C.: The Information Technology and
Innovation Foundation, 2006): <www.itif.org/files/aaasfinal2006.pdf>.
2. National Science Foundation Statistics, “Global Higher Education in S&E” (National Science
Foundation, 2006): <www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c2/c2s4.htm>.
3. National Science Foundation Statistics, “Chapter 2: Higher Education in Science and Engineering,”
(National Science Foundation, 2006): <www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/pdf_v2.htm>.
4. Anna-Lee Saxenian, The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in a Global Economy(Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press, 2006).
5. National Science Foundation Statistics, “Doctorates Awarded 1996-2005,” (National Science
Foundation, 2006): <www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf07305/content.cfm?pub_id=3757&id=2>.
6. Source: Richard Freeman, Harvard University.
7. David Hart, “Global Flows of Talent: Benchmarking the United States,” (Washington, D.C.: The
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 2006): <www.itif.org/files/Global_Flows/pdf>.
8. A Senate bill would authorize up to $20million in seed money for colleges to set up “professional sci-
ence master’s” degree programs to provide that kind of training.
9. Congress passed legislation in 2006 increasing the amount of Pell grant awards for students studying
math, science or languages.
10. President Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative proposes quadrupling spending for a program to
train schoolteachers to lead Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes in mathematics
and science.
11. House legislation would boost funding for an NSF program that provides financial support to juniors
and seniors majoring in math and science if they work as schoolteachers after graduation. The program
gives scholarships of $10,000 a year in exchange for up to four years of teaching.
12. The National Academy of Sciences, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing
America for a Brighter Economic Future,” (The National Academies Press, 2006): <www.nap.edu/cata-
log/11463.html>.
13. The legislation states: “CHAPTER 1 – ASSISTANCE FOR SPECIALTY SCHOOLS FOR MATHEMATICS
AND SCIENCE. SEC. 3171. ASSISTANCE FOR SPECIALTY SCHOOLS FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE:
(a) In General – Consistent with sections 3165 and 3166, the Director shall make available necessary
funds for a program using scientific and engineering staff of the National Laboratories, in which the staff
– (1) assists teaching courses at statewide specialty secondary schools that provide comprehensive
mathematics and science (including engineering) education; and (2) uses National Laboratory scientific
equipment in the teaching of the courses. (b) Report to Congress – Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of the Protecting America’s Competitive Edge Through Energy Act of 2006, the Director
shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress detailing the impact of the activities
assisted with funds made available under this section.”
Spring 2007 21
14. The demographics of the schools which are members of the National Consortium for Specialized
Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology are: 75 percent are full-day schools, 25
percent are half-day programs, 18 percent are residential, 80 percent are non-residential, and 2 percent
take both residential and non-residential students. 69 percent are grades 9-12, 4 percent are grades 10-
12, 22 percent are grades 11-12, and 5 percent include elementary and/or middle school students.
(NCSSSMST, 2004)
15. During this early 1900s a few specialized high schools emphasizing mathematics and the sciences
were developed, such as the Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School in New York
City. Congress played a role, allocating large sums of funding through the Smith-Hughes Vocational Act
of 1917 to promote home economics, agriculture, and the manufacturing trades. One example of this
was the establishment of Brooklyn Technical High School in the early 1920s.
16. By 1988 these schools had reached such a critical mass that a group of mathematics, science and
technology schools began to network and recognized issues of common concern. The result of the dia-
logues that developed from shared concern was the establishment of the National Consortium for
Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST). Beginning with
fifteen charter members in 1988 the NCSSSMST has now grown to almost 100 institutional member
schools and an even greater number of affiliated colleges and universities.
17. Many MSHS students are able to take these extra courses by taking regular education graduation
requirements such as Economics, American Government, Physical Fitness and health online at the Florida
Virtual High School.
18. Seth Hanford, “An Examination of Specialized Schools as Agents of Educational Change,” (Education
Resources Information Center (ERIC), 1997): <eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_stor-
age_01/0000000b/80/22/36/e4.pdf>.
19. There are numerous examples of such partnerships. Collegiate Partners: Andrews University (Berrien
County Mathematics and Science Center); Worchester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts Academy of
Science and Mathematics); The City College of New York (High School for Mathematics, Science and
Engineering); University of Arkansas (Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts).
Corporate Competition Partners: Motorola Corporation (support for NCSSSMST Professional
Conference); Baxter Healthcare of Tampa Bay FIRST Competition (support for Center for Advanced
Technologies). Other Corporate sponsors for FIRST include Raytheon, GE, Motorola, NASA, the U.S.
Department of Defense (support for Internet Science and Technology Fair). Academic Competition
Partners: The Siemens Corporation; Intel; Young Epidemiology Scholars and the College Board.
20. Jonathan Plucker, “Aspirations of Students Attending a Science and Mathematics Residential
Magnet School,” (Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), 1996):
<eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/23/df/32.pdf>.
21. Most recently, the NCSSSMST board of directors commissioned and supported a four-year longitudinal
study of its graduates. This study gathered post-graduate data on students at one and four years after
high school graduation and assessed students on several critical questions: their intended college major
and plans for post-graduate study; the degree to which their high school enhanced their critical thinking,
creative thinking, and research skills; and overall satisfaction with a specialized high school experience.
J. Thomas and B.L. Love. “An Analysis of Post-Graduation Experiences Among Gifted Secondary
22 NCSSSMSTJournal
Students.” NCSSSMST Journal6.1 (2002): 3-8. See also Jay Thomas and Brenda Lee Love,
“NCSSSMST Longitudinal Study of Graduates: A Three-Year Analysis of College Freshman and College
Seniors,” NCSSSMST Journal7.2 (May 2002). (NCSSSMST = National Consortium of Specialized
Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.)
22. Source for national figures are: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
“Digest of Education Statistics,” Table 181: <nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d05/tables/dt05_181.asp>,
and U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000/01 Baccalaureate and
Beyond Longitudinal Study: <nces.ed.gov/das/library/tables_listings/show_nedrc.asp?rt=p&tableID=1378>.
23. National data from United States Census Bureau, “2005 American Community Survey PUMS,” accessed
via DataFerrett, <www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/PUMS/acs_pums_download_via_ferrett.htm>.
24. National Center for Educational Statistics, “The Condition of Education 2006: Postsecondary
Expectations of 12th-Graders,” (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2006): <nces.ed.gov/pro-
grams/coe/2006/section3/indicator23.asp#info>.
25. For example, J.H. Borland, R. Schnurr, and L. Wright, “Economically Disadvantaged Students in a
School for the Academically Gifted: A Postpositivist Inquiry into Individual and Family Adjustment,”
Gifted Child Quarterly44.1 (2000): 13-32.
26. The general high school science laboratories usually do not meet all these demands. There are many
NCSSSMST schools that have designed facilities that indeed meet these needs. For example, The Center
for Advanced Technologies in Florida has included in its specialized high school a large research laborato-
ry built to vocational education specifications. The laboratory includes industrial level power connec-
tions, bays to build robots and technical projects, laptop computers with science probes and related
equipment, broadband Internet connections, science stations for long term experiments, work stations
for students to collaborate and make presentations, and secure storage for chemicals and equipment.
Unfortunately, most schools do not offer students technology or resources that are reflective of the
resources they will encounter in college or, to be sure, in their professions.
27. Some of the expansion would come from construction and creation of new specialty MSHSs. Costs
of building such a high school can range from around $11 million (for rehabilitating an existing building)
to over $50 million for constructing a new MSHS in an area where land prices are more expensive.
Some expansion of enrollment would come from expanding existing high schools, where the price would
presumably be less. However, even at these schools the costs can be higher, particularly for more exten-
sive laboratory equipment. Overall these funds will be used as a federal incentive to spur states and
local school districts to create more specialty math and science high
Spring 2007 23